20.12.12

BRANDON MARSHALL GETS IT.

You don’t lose to your archrivals six consecutive times and stand still. You don’t play as poorly as the Bears did Sunday and have people hold on to their jobs.

Receiver Brandon Marshall, bless him, seems to understand that right down to his soul. On the verge of tears after the Packers’ 21-13 victory, he cut short a postgame news conference and walked away from the lectern. That he’s in his first season with the Bears should shame the people who have been around here a long time. He grasps the emotion of the rivalry. He gets what’s at stake here. I’m not sure some others do.

Two years ago it was the Packers securing a trip to the Super Bowl at Chicago, this time it's clinching a division title at Chicago.

Coach Lovie Smith is the one who put a premium on the rivalry against the Packers. He’s the one who said beating the Packers was the most important thing for the franchise each season. So now he has lost eight of the last nine to the Packers, dropping his career record against them to 8-11.

In the most pivotal of regular season games, against the rival Green Bay Packers, the Bears many maladies in recent years under Lovie Smith were on full display.

The unforced errors, like Jay Cutler’s interception near midfield with 96 seconds remaining in the first half of a 7-7 game. The repeated failure to convert short-yardage runs. And the inability to prevent Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers from making the clutch plays to extend drives and toss touchdowns.

Plenty for Chicago fans to discuss over Old Style and those ridiculous little squares they inflict on their pizza.